"Coastin"

Fat Sandwich

Artists:

Quite different from the nervous, twitchy raps on Digital Lows, "Coastin", from an upcoming 7", finds this young provincial rapper in cogent, chillaxed mode. Over an enormous, sunbaked sample of horns and strings, he effortlessly mocks the dudes who think they got next, while taking the time to gently explain why he's actually gonna get there. So yes, this is an "all those other rappers suck" song, but Cities isn't jacked up on his own confidence; he's just really unimpressed by the competition. He eschews the played-out, "best rapper alive" talk in favor of modest boasts ("I'm not the best but I'm comin' for the next spot") and a sober presentation of his own lofty goals: "Since I hit 21, these niggas is done/ And when I reach 22, I'm still gonna shine/ By the time I'm 25, yeah, the world is mine." Notice that a pointed, telling reference to Nas sneaks in there too, though.